5 Digital Ad Trends Already Taking Over 2018

From CES to the Big Game to the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting next week, marketers are buzzing about what needs to change in 2018 to improve digital ad effectiveness and how the industry as a whole can deliver on these needs. Here are five trends that have risen to the top and demand attention.

The future of brands will be built on mobile in 2018. For advertisers, new formats present some of the most exciting mobile marketing opportunities in recent years. They enable audiences to step into a fully branded world and get a new kind of utility out of their phones. Once there, consumers can interact and literally be surrounded by a brand. The unprecedented level of interactivity is uniquely appealing to consumers and advertisers alike. In fact, some of our recent insights show that 68% of consumers have watched a VR video. And mobile is poised to drive the rise of immersive video, full screen native ads, and other mobile formats that drive utility – and accelerate their adoption. Mobile is making hardware cheaper and VR content even more accessible than ever. For these reasons, expect more brands to leverage immersive mobile formats for their campaigns in the year ahead.

Content marketing will boom.

Get ready for content marketing to take center stage. We’ve talked about brands as publishers for years, but the focus is now on high quality content that’s delivered in the latest formats including video and AR. Plus, the emphasis will be on making this brand storytelling come to life on mobile devices, in a way that puts the consumer first. Brands like Jack Daniels and Sleep Number have capitalized on the opportunity, and it’s clear that content marketing has become a key tool for all verticals. At Oath, we recently introduced RYOT Studio as our global creative agency for brands and agencies as this space continues to grow.

Brands and agencies want more from their vendors.

Advertisers want more from technology platforms. Today, it’s not enough to just activate data or to provide distribution and scale. Buy-side platforms have to do more. Providing access to brand-safe, premium content is increasingly key. You can’t just be the pipes today. The Holy Grail is now content, data and distribution. If you’re a brand builder, an advertiser or an agency, you need all three to be successful. This year, the platforms that deliver against these needs will win market share.

Data quality and diversity over volume.

In advertising, the era of Big Data needs a makeover. Whenever we have conversations with partners about Oath’s dataset, it’s natural for the discussion to steer towards scale and size. And at Oath, we receive over 4 trillion signals from our consumers over the course of a month.

But more than the data volume, it’s the quality and diversity of data signals that we’re receiving. This is what matters the most for marketers. We’re getting data from content consumption, from mobile devices—a million apps, 2 billion handsets worldwide—search data, and more. And then, with Verizon, there are opportunities to blend carrier data into the mix. As an industry, 2018 needs to be the year we put Big Data to bed and focus on signals and sources.

Trust is the kingmaker in 2018.

Trust in the digital ecosystem is lower than it should be. Brand safety woes around the duopoly have left a lot of advertisers and agencies skeptical and concerned. So, this year, the focus needs to be on rebuilding faith and confidence.

At Oath, trust is a key theme for us in 2018. We chose the Oath name for a reason, after all. It signals a commitment to trust, transparency and a level of human support for our customers. On the content side, we also bring an incredible portfolio of brands and along with that, premium, verifiable audiences.

The Cynsiders column is a platform for industry leaders to reach out to colleagues, followers, and the public at large. In their own words and in targeted Q&As, columnists address breaking news, issues of the day, and the larger changes going on in the ever-evolving world of television, video and digital. Cynsiders columns live on Cynopsis’ main page and are promoted across all daily newsletters. We welcome readers’ comments, queries, and column ideas at Lynn@Cynopsis.com.

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